Taste Buds Fade With Age

GOOD HEALTH Dr. Paul Donohue

Dear Dr. Donohue: My taste has gone south on me. I am 75, and I used to be a professional cook, so you can see how this bothers me. What is a reasonable answer? - R.H.

Dear R.H.: By age 75, you have half the number of taste buds you had at age 20.

Furthermore, you probably have lost some sense of smell, an important loss, since odors fill in gaps between the four major taste-bud sensitivities - to sweet, sour, bitter and salt flavors.

We know a bit about smell loss. For example, it can be a residual effect from respiratory infections. And chronic sinus infection also decimates odor-sensitive cells. Perhaps half of true taste depends on smell.

Here's a test: Make up a salt solution and dab some on your tongue. If you can taste a fairly weak salt solution, a good deal of your absent flavor is smell-related.

In that case you would have new avenues to explore, chiefly in treatment of such chronic problems as sinusitis, which would need attention.

On other fronts, experiment with spices that perk up both taste and smell capacities, such as basil, dill and thyme. Make use of your spice rack.

Alternate contrasting flavors - a bit of carrot followed by a bit of potato, a bit of meat, etc. Temperature of food has much to do with flavor enhancement. The same for colors, because sight plays a role in the sensory-perception picture.

Dear Dr. Donohue: Recently, I attended a rock concert. It was so incredibly loud that I have been able to hear only muffled sounds since. At what level does hearing become permanently damaged? - M.H.

Dear M.H.: You can find differing opinions, but I doubt a single rock concert will cause permanent hearing loss.

The 40-59 decibel range is quiet and harmless. Normal conversation falls into that range. Jumping to the 80-99 range for four straight hours might mean some damage. A power mower might deliver that level of sound.

Real discomfort begins at 100 decibels. A jet plane, a chain saw or perhaps an enthusiastic rock band would qualify. Once inner-ear hearing cells are damaged, they are irreparable.